How popular are the Stars in Dallas?

[Power Surge]

The Cowboys are obviously in another tier from all the other pro teams, and I do agree that the Mavericks are probably a safe 2nd. But I'm surprised the Rangers are ranked ahead of the Stars. I've seen plenty of their games since the Mariners are my favorite AL team, and they never struck me as having a hardcore fanbase.


I'll obviously defer to you more as a local, but once you add college sports in, I'd think the Longhorns would be 2nd for how huge college sports are there. Not as big as the Cowboys since there's more college teams, but the only team I'd think could even be in the same tier. And the Rangers being more popular than the Longhorns is something I can't even fathom. as college football seems to be far bigger than pro baseball in Dallas. Would be curious to know what I'm missing.


I don't think any pro team in Florida is even close to the tier of the Gators and Seminoles. Maybe in their city itself, but statewide it's these 2 by a mile.

I think these rankings are Dallas's in particular but Statewide I would think the Longhorns would be #2 behind the Cowboys.

NCAA is more popular than the professional leagye is some states, right?

It seems that way. Like I said before, I'll never understand why since Im not into college sports.

 

[Bostonzamboni]

NCAA is more popular than the professional leagye is some states, right?

Not in Boston. There is never any college sports talk on any college sport on the two local sports stations. Limited coverage of BC and UMass football and basketball unless deep in playoffs. No one cares except some students and some alums.

The Boston Globe and Boston Herald I think still have a small college hockey notes column during the college hockey season, maybe every week or two weeks. NESN and NESN Plus carries some college hockey games, men's and women's. (NESN airs Red Sox and Bruins, Celtics on NBCSports Boston.) And I think NESN has a Massachusetts amateur hockey show weekly in season.

Yes, the Beanpot tonight at TD Garden and the final next Monday will get a story in the two papers, and usually a larger story and photos the day after the final on the cover of the Globe sports page and maybe featured on the Herald back page if Pats aren't in Super Bowl....and a quick mention on WBZ newsradio and the local tv stations. And a newspaper story if a local college team goes to the Frozen Four or Final. But no local sports radio talk except to mock the Beanpot for a quick comment or two from one or more radio hosts.

 

[Pucklington]

Not in Boston. There is never any college sports talk on any college sport on the two local sports stations. Limited coverage of BC and UMass football and basketball unless deep in playoffs. No one cares except some students and some alums.

The Boston Globe and Boston Herald I think still have a small college hockey notes column during the college hockey season, maybe every week or two weeks. NESN and NESN Plus carries some college hockey games, men's and women's. (NESN airs Red Sox and Bruins, Celtics on NBCSports Boston.) And I think NESN has a Massachusetts amateur hockey show weekly in season.

Yes, the Beanpot tonight at TD Garden and the final next Monday will get a story in the two papers, and usually a larger story and photos the day after the final on the cover of the Globe sports page and maybe featured on the Herald back page if Pats aren't in Super Bowl....and a quick mention on WBZ newsradio and the local tv stations. And a newspaper story if a local college team goes to the Frozen Four or Final. But no local sports radio talk except to mock the Beanpot for a quick comment or two from one or more radio hosts.

From my understanding, many of the Southern states this is the case. NC as an example.

I could be wrong, but I always understood NC State, Duke, and Co reign Supreme. Not sure about Florida, but heard same.

 

[Ratbath]

I also don’t get the college sports obsession. I loved going to games when I was in college but stopped caring a couple years after graduating. It’s just not nearly as interesting to me watching amateur kids play instead of professionals.

There’s also a bizarre phenomenon of people who didn’t even attend these schools being some of the most diehard fans. Like I get there aren’t any pro teams in alabama but still some folks get real weird about it. So much of it is just a pageant anyways.

In response to Houston adding a team I think that would actually boost ratings because a lot of Dallas fans in general care a ton about their rivalries. Partially because of being scuttled around different divisions and having nobody in the area I think many Dallas fans would still think of Colorado as their biggest rival because of the late 90s teams and maybe most would say they dislike the Blues the most also because of playoff history. The league has tried to make Nashville the new rival but meh.

 

[alko]

I would like to see all NHL teams and their popularity comparing to others sport... Anyone?

 

[Strawberry Fields]

There’s also a bizarre phenomenon of people who didn’t even attend these schools being some of the most diehard fans

Grew up and still live in central PA. This is absolutely the case with Penn State and it drives me nuts. People worship their PSU football like it's some kind of cult and most of those people I know never even went to Penn State (hell, some never even had family who went!!) I don't care about college football but I can say for sure that I hate PSU (for more reasons than one).

Plus like 90% of the season they just beat up on second rate schools, which I'm pretty sure is the same for all big NCAA programs. To me it'd be like Tampa or Colorado getting to play ECHL teams 60 times a year. I know the smaller schools do it for money but it doesnt make sense to me from a fan/entertainment perspective (wouldn't you rather see your team play legit competition?).

 

[chirrrs]

As a local, here's the answer:

Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Mavericks
Texas Rangers
Texas Longhorns
Oklahoma Sooners
Dallas Stars
FC Dallas

Pretty accurate. Personally, I'd bump the Horns up to #2 or at least tied with the Mavs, but's that's about all I'd change. I want to believe the Stars are more popular than OU, but probably not.

Football is the biggest sport here in TX, always has been and always will be. The Cowboys have had success that most of us are old enough to remember, and usually have a decent team. UT has a storied history. TCU just made it to a National Championship. There's high school stadiums here bigger than college stadiums in northern states. So football will just always be #1. The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable sports franchise in the world at $8 billion.

Baseball has a long history in TX and as "America's Pastime", it has always enjoyed immense popularity. The Rangers are terrible, but have had some recent success. They just got a new air conditioned stadium and you can easily get pretty cheap seats to Rangers games. Again, college and high school baseball are both incredibly popular here.

Basketball has been pretty popular in Texas for decades. All three Texas teams (Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio) have had maintained success over the past 20+ years and have won championships. Luka Doncic is arguably the best player in the league and looks like he will have an incredible HOF career. Like football and baseball, college and high school basketball is a huge draw. There's courts everywhere.

Hockey is totally different. Yes the Stars have had some recent success, but were terrible before that. Hockey teams at the collegiate and especially high school level are extremely rare. You're more likely to see lacrosse. That's just a function of the cost of entry of the sport and few rinks. I love hockey and think that the ticket prices aren't bad for what the product is, but it's not as cheap as going to Rangers or Mavs games. I don't know how much of a bump the team has seen due to recent playoff runs, but I'd surmise that the gap between the Big 3 and hockey here is enormous.

Dallas Stars fans are plentiful enough to fill the seats every game. In a metroplex of a million people, you can only sell 20k tickets, so there's definitely enough fans. I'd say that on average, they seem pretty dedicated. I'd be curious to see what percentage of seats are held by season ticket holders and how that compares league wide. Perhaps if they won a Cup, the following season could see them close the gap a little bit, but I doubt that would be enough. In order for the Stars to move up in the rankings here, every other team would need to be complete garbage at the exact same time that the Stars had a dynasty.

I think all of this is probably true for every NHL city. Going back to 1999 just to include the Stars, here's the list of Cup winners. In any of these cases were they ever the most popular team in the city? Were they even second?

Colorado Avalanche
Tampa Bay Lightning
St. Louis Blues
Washington Capitals
Pittsburgh Penguins
Chicago Blackhawks
Los Angeles Kings
Boston Bruins
Detroit Red Wings
Anaheim Ducks
Carolina Hurricanes
New Jersey Devils
Dallas Stars

Looking at that list, I'm not sure if any of those teams were ever higher than #3.

 

[Dr Pepper]

I would like to see all NHL teams and their popularity comparing to others sport... Anyone?

Well it's probably safe to say there isn't a single NHL city where the hockey team ranks 1st....at least not in the US.

In Canada it's the exact opposite, although there's nowhere near as much competition outside of here in Toronto.....but the Leafs are still head and shoulders above the Raps and Jays.

(Argos and TFC are also around, but their impact is marginal when compared to the Leafs)

 

[biturbo19]

As a local, here's the answer:

Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Mavericks
Texas Rangers
Texas Longhorns
Oklahoma Sooners
Dallas Stars
FC Dallas

Wouldn't TCU/TAMU/Texas Tech be in there ahead of the Stars if the Sooners are?

 

[chirrrs]

Wouldn't TCU/TAMU/Texas Tech be in there ahead of the Stars if the Sooners are?

In Dallas, no. UT and OU are in a whole different stratosphere than any other college program in Texas. Like Texas, OU is a regional powerhouse stacked with Texan players and over a century of storied history. UT and OU are #5 and #6 all time in wins and winning percentage. Darrell K Royal Stadium in Austin seats 100k and Gaylord Memorial in Norman can seat around 85k. A&M is big in agriculture and oil degrees, so lots of people in Dallas have family members that went there. They also benefit from being in the SEC. TCU is close by and has had recent success, but were a doormat for decades beforehand. Tech is out in cattle/oil country out in the middle of Lubbock and hasn't been good enough to sustain a huge presence here in Dallas. Honestly, there's probably more LSU and Alabama fans than there are TCU and Tech fans in Dallas. LSU isn't that far, and Alabama is just...Alabama.

I personally am a Longhorns fan, but like many, I never attended the school. Also like many, as a kid I would at the very least watch the Red River Shootout with OU every year if no other games. Many of use just grew up watching UT long before we were even old enough to start thinking about going to going to college. That UT/OU game is second only to the Super Bowl for a lot of people here. The game is held at the Cotton Bowl which can seat almost 100k. The stadium is in the middle of the park where the State Fair is held, so during that game you'll have 100k in the stadium, and just a mass of people in the fair, even more crowded than Disneyland. Then of course you also have all the block parties in the neighborhood around Fair Park. All in all, there's got to be a quarter million people in that small area during the game.

Conversely, a lot of people can't stand OU at all and consider it sacrilege to call yourself a Texan and rep OU. I'll still cheer for OU in non-conference games, but that's it. Personally, I like TCU, LSU, Ole Miss, and Bama over OU.

 

[biturbo19]

In Dallas, no. UT and OU are in a whole different stratosphere than any other college program in Texas. Like Texas, OU is a regional powerhouse stacked with Texan players and over a century of storied history. UT and OU are #5 and #6 all time in wins and winning percentage. Darrell K Royal Stadium in Austin seats 100k and Gaylord Memorial in Norman can seat around 85k. A&M is big in agriculture and oil degrees, so lots of people in Dallas have family members that went there. They also benefit from being in the SEC. TCU is close by and has had recent success, but were a doormat for decades beforehand. Tech is out in cattle/oil country out in the middle of Lubbock and hasn't been good enough to sustain a huge presence here in Dallas. Honestly, there's probably more LSU and Alabama fans than there are TCU and Tech fans in Dallas. LSU isn't that far, and Alabama is just...Alabama.

I personally am a Longhorns fan, but like many, I never attended the school. Also like many, as a kid I would at the very least watch the Red River Shootout with OU every year if no other games. Many of use just grew up watching UT long before we were even old enough to start thinking about going to going to college. That UT/OU game is second only to the Super Bowl for a lot of people here. Likewise, a lot of people can't stand OU at all and consider it sacrilege to call yourself a Texan and rep OU. I'll still cheer for OU in non-conference games, but that's it. Personally, I like TCU, LSU, Ole Miss, and Bama over OU.

Interesting. I'm obviously pretty divorced from the whole thing, up Canada way...but i do still watch enough college footballs to understand that the Red River rivalry is a pretty big deal.


It just seemed odd to me to include OU which is, as you noted...a sort of sacrilegious team to root for in Texas. Over a number of those other, pretty big college programs. But i guess maybe like you said, they're more prominent in the "rural" bits of Texas, not so much in Dallas itself.

 

[Straight Fire]

As a Flames fan, I watched last night's game and watch a fair amount of Dallas games (or try to, yawn). I find it disturbing that the Stars are as boring to watch as they are. I think that's the biggest malady. Seguin MIA for so many years. Robertson can be fairly dynamic but also lacks a bit of jam at times- like in last nights 2 min 5 on 3 advantage; no one was making anything happen including JR. For a top team in the league as per points, they're a fairly disappointing product to watch compared to most of the other top teams. IMO.

If they could ice excitement and energy like the Hurricanes or Devils or Lightning or the Oilers or Colorado or Buffalo I'd bet the fanbase would go wild. A true bona-fide superstar there like a Kucherov or McDavid would be crazy to see.

I didn't like Benn sitting on the bench during his 1000 game tribute. Should have stood and acknowledged the ovation.

I think the Stars are fortunate they have the fanbase they do.

 

[chirrrs]

It just seemed odd to me to include OU which is, as you noted...a sort of sacrilegious team to root for in Texas. Over a number of those other, pretty big college programs. But i guess maybe like you said, they're more prominent in the "rural" bits of Texas, not so much in Dallas itself.

Well, it goes both ways. There's also a lot of Okie transplants that have ended up in Dallas. Lots of people in this region have parts of their families that have lived in both states, moved for work, themselves or their kids attended both colleges, etc.

 

[JAS 39 Gripen]

The lack of their popularity does not surprise me one bit since all of their rivals fans are calling the Stars players divers. Havn't seen it or can prove it myself, but I trust banter ans angry fans 100%. A 100%.... Yes

 

[chirrrs]

As a Flames fan, I watched last night's game and watch a fair amount of Dallas games. I find it disturbing that the Stars are as boring to watch as they are. I think that's the biggest malady. Seguin MIA for so many years. Robertson can be fairly dynamic but also lacks a bit of jam at times- like in last nights 2 min 5 on 3 advantage; no one was making anything happen including JR. For a top team in the league as per points, they're a fairly disappointing product to watch compared to most of the other top teams. IMO.

If they could ice excitement and energy like the Hurricanes or Devils or Lightning or the Oilers or Colorado or Buffalo I'd bet the fanbase would go wild. A true bona-fide superstar there like a Kucherov or McDavid would be crazy to see.

I didn't like Benn sitting on the bench during his 1000 game tribute. Should have stood and acknowledged the ovation.

I think the Stars are fortunate they have the fanbase they do.

Well for a while Dallas was always a top 3 offense in the league but near the bottom in defense. Then when that didn't work, we went the complete opposite direction. Now we're just starting to find some balance. I don't care how boring the style of play may seem, if they end up winning a Cup, I doubt any fans will be disappointed. They've come close in recent years.

If you look at the Stars roster, the only guy that they've picked higher than 12th was Miro and they had to get lucky and win the lottery for that one. Without high draft picks, they've had to rely on really excellent later picks and some good trades to put exciting players on the ice. Of all the examples of exciting teams that you mentioned, most built their rosters out with high draft picks that are either still on the team or were traded to help construct the current roster. The Stars have only picked in the top 10 three times since 1996: Miro (#3 in 2017), Nichushkin (#10 in 2013), and Glennie (#8 in 2009). As far a bona-fide superstars, Robertson is up there. Hintz is also a pretty exciting player to watch most nights. Defense and goaltending don't typically draw as much excitement, but Heiskanen and Oettinger are among the best in the game at their positions. Jake's playoff run was one of the most ridiculous I've seen in some time and is only trailing Ullmark having an all-timer of a goalie season in GAA and SV%.

Luckily, I think some of the guys that have yet to become every day roster impact players yet (Johnston, Stankoven, Borque, Stranges, etc.) could end up being pretty exciting players in their own rite. If even two of those could live up to their potential, that would be some pretty good drafting. Secondary scoring has been their weakness lately, but hopefully those guys can help in the future.

 

[oconnor9sean]

What non-Canadian NHL team isn't last or second-to-last in media coverage and "popularity" in their own city? Certainly none with an NFL or NBA team. NFL is its own beast, NBA is clear #2 basically everywhere. MLB vs NHL depends on the market.

The Cowboys are the Cowboys. The Mavs have jumped up to a clear #2 in recent years because of Luka. Dallas has done a great job having a lively environment and strong attendance over their entire history (save for the early 2010s when Tom Hicks gave up on the team, we were owned by the NHL and basically spent at the cap floor).

 

[Guttersniped]

They are behind and out of state college team? That shocks me but I am not an American. College sports have no relevance in Canada. Maybe ignorance on my part.

There are states where College Football blows the NFL away in terms of fan interest. It’s very big in the South & Midwest, really the Northeast is the anomaly by not being obsessed with it.

The Cowboys are a unique sports brand success story since the 1970s though.

 

[Rich Nixon]

I think college football is big for gambling and interest in the North East, but outside of College Hockey in New England, and Syracuse/Uconn/St. Johns for basketball, I've never got the impression it's a huge deal in the Boston to DC corridor. Like, the Rangers, Bruins, Flyers and Capitals I would think are more popular than than any college team. But, obviously in place like Columbus, tOSU football is a way bigger deal than the Jackets.

Can't speak for other states, but Penn State football is likely a bigger deal (or, at one point was) than the Flyers and Penguins combined. It's the lone sports team with fans in every town across this big 300 mile rectangle.

 

[beowulf]

As someone from Canada who follows the eastern conference more as a life long Habs fan from Montreal, I always got the feeling that it was sort of up and down with some hardcore hockey/Stars fans in the middle. If they team is doing well they see an uptick in popularity and if not doing so well they lose some fairweather fans until the next high. I think their home rink hold 20,000 and they most often have about between 18K and 19K as an average attendance figure. But in 19-20 when they made the finals, it was standing room only with an average of 20,326/game.

 

[redandyellowcametobe]

Being an Avs fan in Austin, Texas - I run into Stars fans all the time. While the Stars are obviously behind the Cowboys and Mavs they appear to have reach due to Texas being so large and the only NHL team. Isn’t that true for most American cities with NBA and NFL teams though? Those leagues rule the sports markets for the most part.

I try to make the 2.5 hour drive to Dallas when the Avs are in town if schedule allows. The arena is always decently full and the fans seem to know hockey. I’m a pretty vocal Avs supporter and wear Avs gear each time and I haven’t had a problem. Occasional playful chirps here and there. Always in good fun.

I wish I could support the Stars more as I love all things Texas. Unfortunately with them in the same division as the Avs and Benn being on the team, it ain’t in the cards. Stars fans are decent though and I enjoy their barn

 

[Straight Fire]

Well for a while Dallas was always a top 3 offense in the league but near the bottom in defense. Then when that didn't work, we went the complete opposite direction. Now we're just starting to find some balance. I don't care how boring the style of play may seem, if they end up winning a Cup, I doubt any fans will be disappointed. They've come close in recent years.

If you look at the Stars roster, the only guy that they've picked higher than 12th was Miro and they had to get lucky and win the lottery for that one. Without high draft picks, they've had to rely on really excellent later picks and some good trades to put exciting players on the ice. Of all the examples of exciting teams that you mentioned, most built their rosters out with high draft picks that are either still on the team or were traded to help construct the current roster. The Stars have only picked in the top 10 three times since 1996: Miro (#3 in 2017), Nichushkin (#10 in 2013), and Glennie (#8 in 2009). As far a bona-fide superstars, Robertson is up there. Hintz is also a pretty exciting player to watch most nights. Defense and goaltending don't typically draw as much excitement, but Heiskanen and Oettinger are among the best in the game at their positions. Jake's playoff run was one of the most ridiculous I've seen in some time and is only trailing Ullmark having an all-timer of a goalie season in GAA and SV%.

Luckily, I think some of the guys that have yet to become every day roster impact players yet (Johnston, Stankoven, Borque, Stranges, etc.) could end up being pretty exciting players in their own rite. If even two of those could live up to their potential, that would be some pretty good drafting. Secondary scoring has been their weakness lately, but hopefully those guys can help in the future.

Jake is a really good goalie and was amazing last year against us in the first round for sure. I really hope Robertson can flirt with 50 if not fully get there.

Johnston looks like he could have some upside, I like watching him when he's on.

 

[Coffey]

People worship their PSU football like it's some kind of cult

I've always seen Americans loving their colleges in a cult like way.
Here in Canada, it's just another school for us lol

 

[chirrrs]

The lack of their popularity does not surprise me one bit since all of their rivals fans are calling the Stars players divers. Havn't seen it or can prove it myself, but I trust banter ans angry fans 100%. A 100%.... Yes

Riiiight. I'm sure this opinion has nothing to do with the Stars/Blues series in 19 where Lindell started trying to draw a call after being crosschecked 4 times in a row over 10 seconds without a call in the corner on a powerplay. I mean every team accuses every other team of this and that when they play, especially during a playoff series. But that happened during a series during the year the Blues won the Cup, so like you said, you probably didn't see it and definitely weren't in any of those threads. You definitely aren't making off topic comments to instigate Stars fans because you have any sort of personal bias against a division rival, you've heard this from "all of their rival fans". The Stars are just such a villainous heel to the entire league that angry fans are coming from all over with pitchforks and banter.

 

[Melrose Munch]

1) Makes me want a team in Houston even more for the rivalry
2) The Rangers playing in Arlington and not Dallas sucks. What a missed opportunity. The Rangers should be at the state fair grounds outside downtown dallas and not in some suburb.

 

[chirrrs]

I've always seen Americans loving their colleges in a cult like way.
Here in Canada, it's just another school for us lol

I imagine it's sort of like the junior leagues in Canada. The NFL, NBA, and MLB don't really have minor leagues...other than college.